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Neese becomes second Republican to target OKC district in House

Terry Neese, an Oklahoma City entrepreneur and small business advocate, became the second Republican this week to announce a campaign for Oklahoma's 5th District congressional seat.

State Sen. Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma City Republican, announced her candidacy on Wednesday.

Like Bice, Neese announced her campaign by criticizing Rep. Kendra Horn, the Democrat who flipped the seat last year.

"Kendra Horn's very first action in Congress was to hand the keys to every committee and subcommittee in the House to Nancy Pelosi, which empowered members such as socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," said Neese in a statement, referring to two Democratic House members who are popular targets of Republicans.

In response to similar accusations by Bice, Ward Curtin, spokesman for Horn's campaign, said Wednesday, "The Republican primary will be fueled by special interests and filled with right-wing activists jumping over each other to privatize Social Security and take away the gains we've seen in health care, including protections for preexisting conditions."

Horn, 42, of Oklahoma City, defeated two-term Republican Steve Russell last year, winning a district that had been carried in 2016 by Donald Trump.

Neese is the founder of Terry Neese Personnel Services and the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW). She is the former president of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

“Like many of the hardworking residents of the 5th District, I am deeply concerned with the political infighting in Washington and the direction in which our country is moving,” Neese said in a statement. “I believe our district has a chance to get our nation back on track, but it will take sending a proven leader to Congress who has the private sector experience and conservative principles to stand up to Nancy Pelosi and pass policies that will unleash our economy, keep our nation secure and protect future generations from crippling national debt.

Ben Felder is an investigative reporter for The Oklahoman. A native of Kansas City, Ben has lived in Oklahoma City since 2010 and covered politics, education and local government for the Oklahoma Gazette before joining The Oklahoman in 2016....
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